Prague Monuments – What to See

Prague Monuments – What to See

Prague Castle
– It has been developing uninterruptedly throughout the past eleven centuries, from 880 AD till the present.
– It is the biggest castle complex in the world, covering an area of 45 hectares.
– You can admire ecclesiastical monuments, fortification, and residential and office buildings representing all architectural styles and periods, surrounding three castle courtyards.
– The dominant of the castle (and the city’s skyline) is the St. Vitus Cathedral.
– Originally, it used to be the residence of princes and kings of Bohemia; since 1918, it has been the seat of the president.
– Changing of the Guards at the Castle gates every hour starting at 6 a.m. – 11 p.m. (Winter), or 5 a.m. till midnight (Summer); at noon with fanfares and banner exchange.

Address:
Prague Castle
Praha 1 – Hradcany
Web: https://www.hrad.cz, https://www.kulturanahrade.cz, https://www.praha-hrad.cz

Opening hours
The Prague Castle Interiors
April – October 9 – 18 daily
November – March 9 – 16 daily

The Prague Castle Exteriors
April – October 5 – 24 daily
November – March 6 – 23 daily

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Charles Bridge (Karluv most)
– The bridge is 515 meters long and 10 meters wide and connects the Old Town and Lesser Town.
– The oldest Prague bridge was built in the place of the Judita’s Bridge, which a flood had severely damaged in 1342.
– The Stone or Prague Bridge, 1870, called Charles Bridge, was founded by Charles IV in 1357.
– The bridge was built by Peter Parler and finished in 1402.
– Both ends of the bridge are fortified by towers (the Lesser Town Bridge Towers and the Old Town Bridge Tower).
– From 1683 to 1928, thirty sculptures and sculptural groups of the saints were gradually set on the bridge piers (M. Braun, F. M. Brokof, etc.)

Old Town Bridge Tower (Staromestská mostecká vez)
– The entrance gate to the Charles Bridge Tower from the Old Town river bank.
– The most beautiful gate of Gothic Europe was a masterpiece of the Court Building works.
– It was built in the second half of the 14th century.
– The Tower is richly adorned with sculptures: coats of arms of the countries belonging to the Czech Crown under the reign of Charles IV and statues of St. Vitus, Charles IV, Wenceslas IV, St. Vojtech (Adalbert), and Sigmund.

Permanent exhibition:
“Charles Bridge – ray through centuries” – the picture about the astrological and astronomic relations of the origins of Charles bridge.

Opening hours
March 10 – 18 daily
April, October 10 – 19 daily
May – September 10 – 22 daily
November – February 10 – 17 daily

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Old Town Hall & The Astronomical Clock (Orloj)
– The Old Town Hall was established in 1338. The adjacent Gothic Clock Tower dominating the Old Town Square was built in the latter half of the 14th century.
– The most valuable part of the Old Town Hall (placed in the lower part of the Clock Tower) is the Orloj – an unparalleled medieval Astronomical Clock the purpose of which was to foretell the coming of the savior.
– As the hour approaches (every hour between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.), people are milling below the Astronomical Clock for a brief but spooky spectacle taken straight from the Middle Ages involving a skeleton, the 12 apostles, and a fierce-looking Turk.
– The bottom part of the clock was supplemented with a round calendar, including paintings by Josef Manes (1865).
– The Clock Tower provides the best views of the Old Town and the Prague Castle and can be accessed through the Information Center and two elevators.
– The eastern pseudo-gothic wing of the Town Hall was destroyed by the Nazis at the end of World War II on May 8, 1945, and has not been rebuilt yet.

Address:
Staromestské nám. 1/3
Praha 1 – Staré Mesto
110 00
Phone: 724 508 584
Web: https://www.pis.cz

Opening hours
January – December 11 – 18 Monday
9 – 18 Tuesday – Sunday

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Old-New Synagogue & Jewish Museum
– The oldest preserved synagogue in Central Europe.
– It was built in the early gothic style in the late 13th century and was richly adorned by stonework.
– Also, the inside furnishings (gothic wrought-iron grill, wrought chandeliers) are of ancient origin. – Up till now, it has served as a house of prayer and the main synagogue of the Prague Jewish community.
– Apart from the Old-New Synagogue, it is also recommended to visit one of the biggest Jewish museums in the world; it contains valuable Jewish artifacts taken from deported Jews and brought to Prague by the Nazis. For details of the Prague Jewish Museum, see the page “Museums and Galleries.”

Address:
Červená 2
Praha 1 – Staré Město/Josefov
Web: https://www.synagogue.cz

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Powder Tower & Municipal House
– The only preserved part of the old Gothic fortification system of the Old Town was built-in 1230’s.
– It served as a gunpowder depot in the 18th century.
– A monumental entrance to the Old Town was built by Matej Rejsek in the gothic style in 1475.
– You can also admire the adjacent most beautiful Art Nouveau building in Prague – The Municipal House with the Smetana concert hall.
– Tip: take a break and have a coffee in the original Art Nouveau Cafe in the Municipal House.

Permanent exhibition in the Powder Tower
– “The King’s Court” – life in medieval Prague (1st floor).
– The history of the city – marketplace, festivities, fashion, trades, punishments, prison, city seizure, the medieval family (2nd floor).
– The history of the Powder Gate – reproductions of historical graphic sheets on loan from the Prague City Archives (3rd floor).
– Mobile headphones may be rented in the box office for the exhibitions on the first and second floors with texts in Czech, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Russian. The rental fee is included in the ticket price.

Address:
Na Příkopě
Praha 1 – Staré Město
110 00

Opening hours
14. March – October 10 – 18 daily

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Church of St Nicholas (Sv. Mikuláš)
– One of the most valuable buildings of the “Prague Baroque” period with a dominant dome and the belfry (architects K. Dienzenhofer, K. I. Dienzenhofer, A. Lurago, 1704 – 1756).
– The inside decoration of the church is also a specimen of the high baroque style (J. L. Kracker, K. Skreta).
– W. A. Mozart played the organ here during his stay in Prague.

Address: Malostranské nám.
Praha 1 – Malá Strana
118 00
Web: https://www.psalterium.cz

Opening hours
March – 2. November 9 – 17 daily
3. November – February 9 – 16 daily

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Church of Our Lady of Victory – the Prague Bambino
(Panna Marie Vítezná – Prazské Jezulátko)
– An early baroque building by Prague Lutherans 1611 – 1613.
– 1634 – 1669, rebuilt by the Carmelite Order.
– The church is world-famous thanks to the Prague Bambino – Infant Jesus wax figure (of Spanish origin), which was presented to the church by Polyxena of Lobkowicz (1628).
– This unique church offers English masses for the public starting at noon on Sundays.

Address:
Karmelitská 9
Praha 1 – Malá Strana
118 00
Web: https://www.pragjesu.info

Opening hours
January – December 8.30 – 19 Monday – Saturday
8.30 – 20 Sunday

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Loreta
– A Marian pilgrimage place with a copy of the Italian Santa Casa (G. Orsi, 1626 – 1627) including also the baroque Church of the Nativity of Our Lord (K. I. Dienzenhofer, 1734 – 1735).
– The ground is encircled by a cloister and chapels.
– The spire houses a carillon which consists of 27 Loreta bells that tune a Marian song “We Greet You a Thousand Times” (every hour from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
– The most valuable item in the liturgical treasury is the so-called Loreta Treasure, a collection of a sacral objects from the 16th to 18th centuries.
– The most famous of these is the Diamond Monstrance adorned with 6 222 diamonds.

Address:
Loretánské nám. 100/7
Praha 1 – Hradcany
118 00
Web: https://www.loreta.cz

Opening hours
January – December 9 – 12.15 and 13 – 16.30 Tuesday – Sunday

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Vysehrad
– Ancient legends situate the original seat of the Czech princes – the legendary Princess Libuse and the first Przemyslides – on the hill.
– In fact, however, this fort had not been founded until the Prague Castle was already in existence since it dates back to the mid-10th century.
– In the latter half of the 11th and in the 12th century, Vysehrad used to be the Przemyslides princes’ main residence which brought about a generous building activity within its walls.
– Among noteworthy sight, there are the precious Romanesque rotunda of St. Martin, the gothic church of St. Peter and Paul (in the late 19th century rebuilt in the neogothic style), the Vysehrad cemetery used as a burial site of the Czech outstanding personalities since 1869 with a collective tomb called Slavin
– and the underground casemates housing the originals of several baroque statues from the Charles Bridge.
– The Vysehrad site is open the whole day.